Darkness Over Dreamland
by Buick Regal Racecar 56
Summary: One year ago, Kirby, Meta Knight, and King Dedede left for the Super Smash Brothers Brawl tournament.  One year ago, Dreamland was left without its biggest hero.  One year ago, Dreamland was a cheerful place to live.  And then, darkness fell...
1. Prologue

Darkness Over Dreamland

_Ah, I love the smell of new story in the afternoon. Relatively speaking, this is actually nowhere near a new story- I've had this one in planning since December of 2008, and it's gone through many, many changes to get where it now is. The title for this was Return to Dreamland originally, but I figured that might be a little confusing considering the recent Kirby game of the same title. This is a small crossover, very small- it only mentions the Super Smash Brothers Brawl Tournament, since that plays a part into the story. I don't want to give too much away, so here goes nothing!_

Prologue

The large airship slowly lifted from the ground, the whole of Cappytown watching in near silence. Some residents waved, despite the knowledge that such a gesture would likely remain unnoticed by those onboard. Once the battleship was a necessary distance above the ground, large, bat-like wings materialized at its sides as it prepared to leave the atmosphere. After a few more momens, the ship took off, rapidly disappearing into the sky and exiting into space. The quiet was more apparent now, each resident wondering what would become of them without their hero. Soon after, the Cappies began filtering back into town, leaving behind two seperate groups to continue staring at the place where the ship had once been.

"Do you really believe Meta Knight was right about not having trouble?" One of the knights, the taller one, nodded in reply to the small blue prince's question.

"There are few villains Kirby hasn't handled. We should be completely fine."

"I just hope you're right."

"So, Dreamland has been left without its hero?" This is an intriguing turn of events." The rest of the mouse-like group all turned to their leader, questioning only momentarily if this would be the extent of what he had to say.

"Are you planning something, boss?" The red cloaked leader's small smirk was visible at the edge of the shadow created by his crimson hat.

"Not just yet. Let them believe that they are safe. Then we will have a new plan."

As he watched the larger airship leave, the gold glint of the crown caught his eyes momentarily. Keeping the object may not have been his best move after what it had caused last time; however, a new idea was already forming itself in his mind. A small smile formed across his face, although no one else could've seen it. Dreamland might be an interesting place to be around without a hero present...

The yellow, rather bizarre looking wings behind the small creature twitched a bit as he watched the ship go. He'd heard the news, that the little pink puff was leaving- he hadn't really believed it until now. He tilted to the side in thought, a small habit of his that others thought was a bit odd. Of course, it was odd as well that Dreamland's hero would leave, along with the best sword fighter and the self proclaimed king. It left Dreamland in a bad place. A smile spread across his face, the razor sharp fangs adding an almost unnecessary darkness to it. Without Kirby...

"Getting control of Popstar will be easy."

The sound of the ship had faded moments before- yet she still watched the portion of the sky where it had disappeared from. 'What a bad idea, sending off the only hero this place has.' She couldn't understand the logic of such a move; in fact, there didn't seem to be any logic involved. She shook her head, knowing there'd be several others who took advantage of this situation. She wouldn't be one of them.

"No hero, no protection. No protection, no resistance. You could easily gain total control over it in this situation. What could possibly stop anyone from taking over? Take advantage of this- it might be the last chance to do so."

-one month later-

"Everything's normal, sir." The small blue puffball just shook his head, although he was smiling.

"I've told you two that you don't really have to call me sir. I'm not that old." The shorter knight- Blade Knight, if Fluff remembered right- shrugged.

"We're used to it." Prince Fluff just nodded- he understood what Blade meant. Old habits die hard. Right then, there was a loud scream from somewhere in the castle, making the two knights immediately go into a defensive mode, while the young prince just froze, staring at the door.

"I thought you said everything was normal."

"It was- a moment ago."

"We'll go check it out. You just stay here, Prince." Before Prince Fluff could reply, the two knights hurried off. The small blue puff hesitated momentarily before grabbing the weapon he'd learned how to use in this world. In Dreamland, he wasn't made of yarn the way he was used to in Patach Land, so he'd had to get used to being solid. This included re-learing how to attack, as before using a yarn whip that was a part of him wasn't exactly an option in this world. He headed off after the two knights, the royal side of his mind saying that he should let them handle it and stay where it was safe. However, the adventurous side he'd gained from helping Kirby stop Yin Yarn was telling him there was no harm in helping others. It didn't take long to find out where the scream had originated, and the prince slid to a stop in front of the door to the Cabinet Minister's room. The first thing he noticed was Sword and Blade fighting what appeared to be a losing battle against what looked to be small black blobs. The second thing he noticed was the blood, and his eyes went wide with shock.

"Oh hell." Though he barely whispered the words, it caught the attention of the blobs. Once they were all focused on the prince, Sword and Blade looked as well, wondering what had distracted the creatures. Time seemed to stand completely still for a moment.

"Get out of here Fluff!" It wasn't an angry tone at all, it was a panic filled tone that, coming from the knight, didn't seem very real at all, and it made the young prince not think twice about the order. He took off toward the exit of the castle, not sure at the moment as to where he intended to go, but he knew he had to evade the black creatures that had followed him. Despite the danger, he ended up skidding to a stop again at a window, looking in horror outside. Cappytown seemed to be half covered in pure black, while some of it was on fire, and he didn't want to begin imagining the screams that he was sure could be heard from the generally peaceful town. The sky was darkened, as if the creatures had attempted to block out the sun itself and succeeded- patches of the land were black, and it took him a few moments to realize that the fuzzy black areas were where more of these little black creatures currently were. It hit him at that moment, that Dreamland was in big trouble this time- and it didn't have Kirby to save it.

_So, this is just the prologue. If you're confused on anything, anything at all, don't hesitate to ask. I'll try to get the next chapter up sometime this week, if I don't get too distracted by playing Return to Dreamland, that is. Hope everyone enjoyed it!_

_Buick Regal Racecar 56_


	2. Chapter 1

_Good news everyone! I've finished the written version of this story, so now I'll most likely try to update regularily at least once a week. A few notes first. I use wordpad, since my computer doesn't have Microsoft Word, so if you notice any typos or spelling errors please feel free to tell me, since my wordpad doesn't tell me when something's spelled wrong. Actually, that's the only note. Anyways, I forgot to say in the last chapter that I don't own Kirby at all, so don't sue me XD On to the chapter!_

_Review Replies to anonymous reviewers: _

_Random Reader: Oops, sorry it was so tricky XD Guess it made more sense in my head. The unnamed girl character is actually Drawcia- I had a hard time figuring out how to introduce her. _

_WarchieAntiHeroes: You actually find out what happened to Fumu and Bun in this chapter, so keep reading :)_

Chapter 1

_-Popstar: One Month Later-_

_-Drawcia's Underground Hideout-_

Though the room was large, it was mostly empty, and as a result, rather quiet. Even the normally chatty beings in the group were quiet, mostly from shock. They were waiting for the sorceress to re-enter the room with the news from the infirmary. It didn't take long for her to return, without a single hint of emotion available.

"So, what's the news on Blade?" The sorceress shook her head; the small blue prince lost the semi-confiden look he'd had only a moment ago.

"Alright, it'd probably be a good idea to go around and create a list as to who's here and who's not. Obviously, Kirby, Meta Knight, and King Dedede are a given, so we won't include them on the list. But anyone else is fair game. Daroach, you can start." The leader of the Squeak Squad sighed a little, staring at the ceiling.

"I'm present, of course. Doc and Storo are gone, most likely dead. Spinni's in a coma, so she's half here and half not. And the squeaks are either dead or missing. That's all I know of." Drawcia marked this down, and Daroach just pulled his red hat over his eyes. The Squeak Squad had been like a family to him. The sorceress nodded to the person next to him.

"I'm Knuckle Joe, so ya can mark that down. Sirica's not around- she got taken over by Dark Matter. Kit Cosmos and Yamikage are missing as well, although the last I saw of 'em, they were being chased by Dark Matter. No one else I can think of." It was silent as the pen scratched across the paper. A look from Drawcia cued Prince Fluff to begin.

"Prince Fluff here of course. Parm, Memu, Fumu, and Bun- all killed by Dark Matter. Sword and Blad, dead as well, along with Escargoon, a vast majority of the Waddle Dees, and the Waddle Doo captain. I think that's all from the palace, it should be... And most of the Cappytown residents are missing or dead." The little blue prince looked a little more depressed with each name he mentioned, and the silence remained. Drawcia wrote this all down, then nodded to the next person.

"I'm Magolor, completely present. Landia has completely disappeared, and that's all I know of." It didn't take her long to mark that down before moving to the next person.

"Marx's the name." The little purple jester's wings twitched momentarily as he thought. "There's no one I can think of. I don't know that many people."

"Same for me, Galactic Knight. I do know that Axe Knight, Trident Knight, Javelin Knight, and Mace Knight are all dead." Drawcia finished marking this down, putting her name down as well.

"No word to anyone about NME or anyone else from there?" No one answered the question, not even Knuckle Joe. Drawcia wrote the company's name down, placing a question mark beside it.

"Well, it looks like this will probably be all that will be down here unless any of the missing come back. Which looks less and less likely each day." It was quiet momentarily.

"So what're we gonna do down here?" The question came from the little purple jester.

"Well, what would you propose that we do, Marx?" Marx just grinned at Daroach's question- it was easy for someone who'd lost no one to still be able to smile at this point.

"I say we just fight back. I mean, we go some pretty tough people down here. It shouldn't be that hard, right?"

"Fighting back is what got most people killed, Marx. You can try, if you want. You'll probably end up with something worse than that scar around your eye if you do try, though." The smile faded quickly from Marx's face- the large, nearly circular scar was a just a reminder that he'd been beaten by Kirby.

"Well, it coulda worked."

"You're right, Marx. It wasn't such a bad suggestion. However, Prince Fluff is really the only one experienced in fighting a bad guy. Knuckle Joe as well. Kirby's gone against 02 before, so having him will be an asset." It took a moment for that to sink in for the ones who'd faced him before. For Prince Fluff, Knuckle Joe, and Galactic Knight, this meant nothing unusual- for everyone else, it'd mean teaming up with someone who'd beaten them.

"So we have to wait for Kirby to get back and then we'll have to work with him?" Drawcia nodded.

"It means exactly that."

"But we don't even know if they'll get back! How do we know that we'll even be here if and when they return?"

"We don't. Honestly, none of us have any idea if Kirby, Meta Knight, and King Dedede will return. We've got no idea if 02 will have Dark Matter find us before they return. And if they return, we don't know if they'll not be noticed by 02. This all boils down to a bunch of what ifs. And if you want out, then you can say so. This is all down to chance, and if you don't feel like risking your life, then no one will force you into this. All I'm saying is that, allowing that nothing goes wrong, our best bet is to wait for Kirby to return so that we know someone experienced in fighting 02 will be on our side. So, anyone want to bail out?" No words were spoken, not even by Marx, and Drawcia nodded.

"Then we'll stick to that plan and remain here until they return to Dreamland. And we'll hope everything goes right."

_So, this is more of an introduction chapter for the characters who will be a main part of this story. Sorry if it got kind've boring. If you get confused on who's talking, don't feel afraid to ask. Hope everyone liked it!_

_Buick Regal Racecar 56_


	3. Chapter 2

_Well, it's about time for another chapter of Darkness Over Dreamland! I swear, I really ought to try to get these chapters up a little quicker XD One thing I must say first- this chapter might be a bit surprising, and I might have been a bit misleading about a key fact of the story. You'll see what I mean. So, without further ado, here's the review replies. _

_Random Reader: ... You know, I actually hadn't realized that I killed off most of the anime characters XD Now that you say that though, I realize I pretty much have. Weird. But, don't worry there's plenty to look forward to :) _

Chapter 2

_-Popstar: 10 Months Later-_

"There's absolutely no sign of anyone. It seems all has gone according to our plan. We've eliminated the threats, and are planning our steps to eliminate Meta Knight, Kirby, and King Dedede upon their return."

"And what of the other planets? Do we have control of what we need?"

"Yes. We have all control of each planet, including Ripple Star. We also have the resources to summon NOVA if need be."

"Good. Then I suppose the last thing to do is await the return of the other trhee."

_-Aboard the Halberd-_

"We're almost out of the dimensional portal." This small bit of information immediately cheered up Kirby and King Dedede. Despite the adventures they'd all had at the Super Smash Brothers Brawl tournament, all three looked forward to returning home. Kirby had grown up a lot during the past year, now having gained the ability to speak completely normal, whereas he'd hardly been able to speak a full sentence when he left. Still, the enthusiastic pink puff nearly flew to the front window of the ship, followed not so quickly by the self-proclaimed penguin king. Soon after, they exited the dimensional portal, coming out just outside of Popstar. Kirby couldn't help but squeak in joy at seeing his home planet- both King Dedede and Meta Knight chuckled a bit at this.

"Hurry up and land, Meta Knight, I want to see everybody!"

"I can only land this ship so fast, Kirby. Be patient." Kirby pouted, but continued looking out the large front window. Meta Knight carefully brought the Halberd into the planet's atmosphere. However, though they were still a great distance from the ground, they noticed that something seemed a little off. The ground itself seemed to lack any color; what Meta Knight had sworn was once a large forest was now a barren field of naked gray and brown trees. The ocean far to their left gently lapped at a line of rubble on the once picturesque beach.

"You sure we ain't in the Mirror World somehow?" The masked warrior nodded.

"It would've been noticeable immediately if we accidentally ended up in the Mirror World. Not to mention, the only way to enter is through a mirror, and I doubt we could find a Mirror World portal large enough to fit the Halberd." It was quiet again, but only for a moment.

"Is that Cappytown?" If it hadn't been for the very recognizable look of the land around the area, both Meta Knight and King Dedede would've denied the confirmation. However, the truth was confirmed by the fact that the nearby hill contained the familiar Castle DDD, although it was in pieces itself.

"What happened?" Kirby sounded on the brink of tears, a fact neither the warror nor the self-proclaimed king could blame him for. Before either of them could attempt to say a positive remark to comfort him though, a warning bell went off. Meta Knight quickly checked what it was signalling.

"We're being shot at. You two might want to buckle up." Neither of them made a move- the shock was still too much for them to react. They felt the ship rock momentarily, although faintly, signalling a closer shot.

"Well?" Kirby and King Dedede hurried to buckle up as Meta Knight brought up several other screens, trying to locate where the attacks were coming from. As he was doing so, another alarm went off.

"Meta Knight, there's someone else onboard!" Meta Knight nearly cursed, only half because the pink puff recognized that alarm from previous experience.

"I may actually require assistance." The two quickly got up from their seats, rushing to the monitors.

"What d'ya need us to do, Meta Knight?"

"Kirby, check that monitor there and see if you can figure out where the intruder is. Dedede, you operate the cannon controls once I locate where we're being shot at from." The pink puff and the penguin went over to the seperate areas, after Meta Knight pointed them in the right direction.

"Meta Knight, whoever it is is near the main reactor!"

"Shi-!" The word was lost in an explosion as another impact rocked the ship, and judging by their near loss of balance, very near them.

"What're we gonna do?" Meta Knight thought for a moment.

"We're going to abandon the ship." Immediately after he said this, another warning bell went off, signalling that the main reactor had been destroyed.

"We're an insane height in the air! We ain't gonna survive if we abandon the ship!"

"Listen, the ship is going down anyways. I can make it land on the ground easy enough before the ship takes too much damage. At least, I'm pretty sure I can. Buckle up again, that way if it's a rough landing, no one will get hurt." Kirby and King Dedede buckled up again.

"Kirby, keep an eye on the monitor, in case the intruder decides to come find us."

"Got it." Meta Knight pressed some buttons, bringing the Halberd to a slow halt before steadily bringing it down. New warning bells began to ring out as they descended. The small masked warrior ignored them, concentrating on safely landing before the loudest alarm went off, signalling that all engines would be off, sending them into free fall. For several tense minutes, all that was heard were the various smaller alarms that signalled the failure or damage of smaller areas of the ship. Then, with the ship still a far distance from the ground, an echoing alarm like a nuclear air strike siren pierced through the many corridors of the ship, causing Meta Knight to nearly yell every curse word he'd learned in the Galaxy Soldier Army.

"What's that siren for?"

"That would be the engines. That alarm means that, due to the loss of power from the main reactor, all the engines have now failed."

"Which means what for us?" Meta Knight paused as the electricity flickered in the control room, eventually going out.

"It means hold on tight and hope like hell that the fall doesn't kill us."

"What?" That was the last word said before the Halberd began plummeting to the ground, King Dedede and Kirby holding onto each other, still buckled in and screaming as the ship fell, and Meta Knight holding on to the nearest object, which happened to be the control panel. It took only a few seconds for the airship to hit the ground, which it did with a jarring thud, the force of the impact knocking out all three Dreamlanders immediately.

_Don't be afraid to admit it- I bet some of you thought these three wouldn't be in this story at all. I bet I was little misleading on that one XD Anyways, hope you liked this chapter, I'll try to update again soon. _

_Buick Regal Racecar 56_


	4. Chapter 3

_Sorry for the long wait everyone! I got completely distracted by playing Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap XD Not much else to say, so here's the next chapter ^_^_

Chapter 3

Kirby was the first one to regain consciousness after the ship hit the ground, and the first thing he noticed was that the entire front window had shattered. He blinked his eyes a few times, allowing his eyes to adjust to the darkness that seemed to have settled all around. While he was doing so, King Dedede woke up, wincing and rubbing his head where it'd been slammed back into the chair from the force of the impact. Kirby unbuckled his seat belt, going over to Meta Knight who was still unconscious. The warrior was lucky that he wore a mask all the time; there was now a quite decent sized crack in the front, which, had the mask not been there, might have equaled a very nasty gash. By the time King Dedede had wandered over, Meta Knight had already regained consciousness, using the control panel to pull himself up, until he could reorient himself.

"Neither of you is injured?" King Dedede and Kirby both shook their heads, and Meta Knight nodded very slightly.

"Good. Then I suggest we leave the Halberd."

"The doors aren't electric, are they?"

"They are electric and manual- we should be able to exit without a problem." Nearly thirty minutes later, the group finally made it outside. However, once they were outside, the group stopped in shock. From outside the seemingly safe walls of the Halberd, Dreamland had somehow not seemed as desolate and empty as it did now. The bleak landscape seemed to conjur up images in all of their minds of the worst scenes in any post-apocalyptic movie in history.

"It don't even look like it could be Dreamland an'more." King Dedede's quiet statement echoed the thoughts of the other two.

"It really doesn't, does it?" The new voice, familiar more to Kirby than King Dedede or Meta Knight, made the three all turn towards the source in surprise, Meta Knight's hand instantly going for Galaxia, and Dedede almost simultaneously going for his hammer. The small blue puff was trying his hardest not to grin, although he was clearly overjoyed to see that they'd returned. The only difference that could be seen since the last time they'd seen the prince was that his gold crown had been replaced by an Indiana-Jones style hat, and he had his new weapon of choice- a whip- neatly coiled at his side. He wasn't alone- beside him was a figure who was more recognizable to Meta Knight; the figure was a magenta color, with a mask that had a cross shaped visor, angel wings, and was holding a shield that looked the same as his mask and a lance.

"Prince Fluff!" Kirby actually jumped with happiness, which got a small grin out of most everyone.

"It's great to see all you guys. We can't stay here long though. Come with us."

"Wait- what exactly is going on?"

"We'll explain when we get back to the base."

-Drawcia's Hideout: A Half Hour Later-

It took awhile to get to their destination- most of which had been spent going back a few fake ways, which, according to the formerly yarn prince, would throw off anyone who was attempting to follow them. By the time they got to the base, even Kirby was a bit confused as to where they really were. Once inside the actual base, Prince Fluff replaced the hat he'd been wearing outside with the crown that Kirby was more familiar with.

"So, are you the only ones here?" Prince Fluff shook his head.

"No, there's others here. Galactic Knight, go see if you can gather up everyone else, I'll take these three to the living room." The magenta warrior nodded, then left down one hallway. Meta Knight, Kirby, and Dedede followed Prince Fluff into another room; and once they entered the room, the tension went from none to extreme in seconds. Meta Knight and Dedede's hands once again went to their weapons, holding eye contact with the very familiar cloaked Halcandran, who just stared back- neither of them were able to read his expression. Kirby wasn't paying attention to the more recent foe- instead, he was staring in disbelief at the small, purple jester who was just as intently staring back at him, almost as if daring him to do something. The wings and fangs that the jester still had brought back all too many memories to the pink puff. The only difference was an almost complete circular scar now looped around Marx's eye. No one in the room said a word. The tension in the room grew a bit more in the room as Galactic Knight came back with several others, the majority of which were past foes, subtracting Knuckle Joe. Kirby was only surprised that Yin Yarn or Necrodeus or someone like that hadn't managed to get into this group.

"So... do we now get an explanation as to why we come back from the tournament and end up in Con Air?"

_You will now be imagining Prince Fluff with an Indiana Jones hat. And yes, I had to throw in a Con Air joke. If you've never seen it, well, don't feel bad, I haven't either. I've heard a lot about it though XD Sorry for taking so long to update this again, I'll try not to take so long again :)_

_Buick Regal Racecar 56_


	5. Chapter 4

_Once again, sorry about the long wait between updates! I really need to get better about updating often, I've gotten out of practice of doing that since I haven't exactly been doing fanfiction for awhile. But, without any further ado, I present the next chapter! _

Chapter 4

The explanations took awhile- Kirby, King Dedede, and Meta Knight had a bit of a hard time understanding, as each of the people in the room had their own version of what had happened. However, even with all the combined information, there were still a few questions left unanswered.

"So, ya told us why Dreamland looks like the apocalypse happened ten times over, but what about all the ones who ain't hee? Like Escargoon and my Waddle Dees?"

"And Fumu and Bun? What about their parents?"

"And Sword and Blade?" All the Dreamlanders in the room hesitated. Prince Fluff, being the almost default informer due to being one of the good guys, stepped forward.

"None of them made it. Neither did Sirica, Kit Cosmos, Yamikage, most of the Squeak Squad subtracting Daroach, Axe Knight, Trident Knight, Javelin Knight, Mace Knight, Landia, and so many more." It was completely quiet as this news sank in.

"This hasn't ever happened before when I left." Kirby was quiet- it was easy to see he was about to cry. That was understandable- he'd lost most of what could be considered his family.

"Other times, there was still Meta Knight. There was still someone who no one wanted to mess around with. This time, the two who could handle it were gone." Silence filled the room.

"So, it's all my fault that this happened?" No one said anything; they had no idea what to say. After a few moments, Kirby left the room.

"Shouldn't we go talk to him?" Besides that single voice, it was quiet for a few more moments. Then Prince Fluff sighed.

"I'll go. It's a lot for him to absorb." The small blue puff went after Kirby, and despite the unintentional pun he'd made, no one laughed.

Kirby had found his way back outside, staring at the now barren land.

"You really shouldn't be out here Kirby. It's not exactly safe." Kirby sighed.

"I know. Just... I can't be around all of them, and still deal with this. I just spent a year having fun, and meanwhile, most of the people I know- or knew- were having to hide or being killed."

"It's not your fault, Kirby."

"But I could've done something if I were here, Fluff. I really could've."

"Listen, I know it hurts to lose everyone. Trust me, I wish I could've done more myself. There's nothing you could've done, okay?" It was silent once again, Kirby slowly accepting this fact. Finally, he decided it was time to ask the one other question that was on his mind.

"So, why exactly is everyone here?"

"We were waiting for you guys to come back."

"But why?"

"We think we can beat them if we have you three to help us out. It's a longshot, because we don't know if Zero Two had anyone else involved or not, but we think with you three, we can get Dreamland back."

"I don't think I can work with some of them. Especially Marx and Magolor- I don't think I can trust them enough."

"We need everyone's help. I know they've done some pretty horrible things before, but we all have to work together for this. I haven't even lived in Dreamland all my life, and I know this isn't how it's supposed to be. Don't you want to take back your home?"

"I want to. I really do. But I have a hard time trusting a group that's made up of half the villains I never thought I'd see again."

_Sorry that this chapter's so short- we're sort of entering the mid-section of this story, which has at least one of my usual filler chapters. Okay, not really filler, but... well, it kind've is. Don't worry though- this story picks up again soon. It starts getting interesting starting the chapter after next, so please, please stick around :) I'll try to update more often as well ^_^_

_Buick Regal Racecar 56_


	6. Chapter 5

_... I swear. One day, I'm really going to update quicker again. Honestly, if you feel I'm taking too long with updates, feel free to PM me. I will read it :) But also, I have to admit, I do have this habit of when certain parts of the story hit, I don't update as much XD I'm going to warn you now, this is pretty much a filler chapter. And before I give up the story, then I believe I'll just type up this chapter XD _

Chapter 5

-_two days later-_

The small blue puff was right where Meta Knight had told him he was, and Kirby couldn't help but smile a little as he went over to his friend. Considering the prince was one of the few Dreamlanders he trusted here, he felt completely safe at the moment. The last two days had been stressful, seeing as he was now sharing a place of residence with several of the same people who had tried to derail his life over the course of several years. And despite the danger he and Prince Fluff had gone through against Yin Yarn's attempt to rule Patch Land and Dreamland, they had become friends through all the craziness.

"What's up, Fluff?" The blue prince looked a bit startled for a moment, but relaxed when he noticed it was just Kirby.

"Just thinking..."

"You okay?"

"I... I don't think I should go along on this adventure. I'm a prince. I'm not exactly cut out for adventuring and danger. I could barely force myself to help you get rid of Yin Yarn."

"But you did so well. Patch Land was thankful for what you did- and Dreamland was too."

"But I'm not a hero, Kirby. That's the bravest I've ever been. You're the real hero. You've gone up against each threat on Dreamland and come away a hero. You've even managed to do it in a way where the former villains respect you. I just helped once. I'm no hero."

"Of course you're a hero. You did as much as I did. People respect you too."

"I just don't feel like much of the hero type."

"You just have to believe you can do it, Fluff." It was quiet for a few moments.

"And, what'd you mean when you said even the former villains respect me."

"Exactly what I said. They realize you were just trying to protect the people you cared about. Even Marx realizes it, if he doesn't exactly admit it. It's why they all were able to agree to wait for your return. They weren't going to try defeating Zero Two without help from someone who'd done this before."

"Then maybe it's time I learned to trust them a bit more..."

_Sorry this is so short :P There was actually a lot more to the chapter on paper, but most of it just... well, it didn't seem to make any sense actually XD So I just put a bit that would. And I promise, I'll start trying to update more, because once we get to the next chapter, that's when the story really starts picking up ^_^ Until next time ^_^_

_Buick Regal Racecar 56_


	7. Chapter 6

_I'm almost on Easter break, hallelujah! I promise, since I've been so lazy on the updates lately, considering this will be my first update since March 13th, I will try to update at least twice over this break. The story will start getting more interesting again now, so that should be a good thing. Especially since I really want to get to the end of this XD Anyways, on with the story!_

Chapter 6

It was silent in the living room, the residents of the hideout all waiting for Kirby to start talking. The pink puff was nervous, trying to deal with the fact that most of the group watching and waiting were former enemies. He found a brief bit of humor at the irony that he could handle beating all of them, yet he couldn't seem to find enough courage to actually talk to them. He glanced quickly at Knuckle Joe and Prince Fluff, who both gave him a reassuring smile- Joe added a thumbs up as well. He took one last deep breath to relax himself.

"The first thing that I wanted to say is that I'm sorry for remaining so suspicious around everyone. I'm still a kid- I have my reasons to still be a little unsettled around you guys. But, since we're all going to have to work together, I need to start being more relaxed and less jumpy."

"It's nice to know you can afford to trust us. However, taking back Dreamland is going to be a rather tricky endeavor. And most of us aren't heroes- we can't exactly claim to know how we're supposed to go about this."

"Pricne Fluff was thinking the same thing. He was just a prince, yet he managed to help me defeat Yin Yarn. Heroes don't have to be born- they can be made. You just have to believe that you can do something good. Zero Two's taken something from us all, and we have to fight for what we've lost." It was quiet for a moment.

"That I can agree to. I've lost the whole Squeak Squad. I'm all in for an attempt to be a hero if it's for them. Treasure hunting doesn't need to just be about stealing, right?"

"Sword and Blade pretty much saved my life. Like I told Kirby, I might not be as big of a hero as him, but I can handle this." One by one the group chimed in, managing to find something or someone that they could fight for. Even Marx managed to find something.

"Then let's get Dreamland back."

_Aw rats. This one's short too. Well. I'm going to see if I can't type chapter 7 up- it's one of the longer ones. But, hey, at least I'm updating again! XD_

_Buick Regal Racecar 56_


	8. Chapter 7

_I am so completely sorry for taking so long with this update! I've no excuse except for laziness, although I admit also that as of late, I've been more absorbed into The Hunger Games, and that has distracted me very much from this. However, since we're now getting into the action of the story, I promise to try to get updates up in a more timely fashion._

Chapter 7

_-Former Castle DDD: Three Days Later-_

"Okay, everyone check in one more time before we go on."

"Marx and Magolor here."

"Drawcia and Daroach, ready."

"King Dedede 'n Knuckle Joe, all ready."

"Meta Knight and Galactic Knight, ready as well."

"Good. For now, just destroy all Dark Matter you encounter, but avoid it if possible. I don't know if Zero Two can tell when it's destroyed but I hope to see everyone at the checkpoint. Kirby and Prince Fluff, over and out." The small pink puff lowered the volume on the radio set, placing it on the belt next to the whip he had thanks to his whip ability- he'd gotten used to the ability while helping out Prince Fluff in Patch Land, and the two had worked so well as team like that he had decided to use that for this. At the moment, Prince Fluff was back to wearing his Indiana Jones style hat, making the two look like blue and pink twins.

"You ready Fluff?" The prince took a deep breath, then smiled a little.  
>"As ready as I'm going to be." Kirby smiled back, trying to get his friend to relax.<p>

"It'll be fine. Trust me."

DOD

"And how long can you remain normal with that crown?" Magolor nearly rolled his eyes at Marx.

"Listen, I've been practicing at controlling it all year. It'll be fine, okay?"

"I was just asking. Sheesh." The two continued through the castle in silence, looking for any signs of Dark Matter, or even Zero Two. Strangely, there were none to be seen.

"Marx, I think that weird sound your wings make might be scaring off any Dark Matter."

"It's not that loud, is it?"

"It's not that it's loud, it's just odd."

"Or maybe Zero Two isn't here. No one ever said he was at Castle DDD, we just assumed he was. What if he's on a completely different planet?" Magolor paused- for once, Marx actually made sense.

"I hope not. Then we'd be going through all this for nothing."

"I know, I'm just thinking. What if he's trying to-"

"Marx, behind you!" Marx turned around, immediately blasting a Dark Matter orb into oblivion, and revealing that they'd been discovered by the small black creatures. Marx backed away next to the Halcandran.

"I don't think we're going to get out of this without a fight."

"Probably not."

"And Marx?" The little jester looked at him questioningly.

"Yeah Magolor?" Magolor grinned, despite Marx not being able to see it under the scarf he was wearing.

"The one with the most kills wins." Marx chuckled in the demented way he had that would creep out anyone but Magolor.

"You're on." And with that, the two started the fight.

DOD

"This may have been an easier journey had someone told us the layout of the castle." Drawcia rolled her eyes at the mouse, who once again had his hat pulled low over his face.

"Will you stop complaining? It's not like you always had a complete layout to each treasure you were stealing."

"No, but I always had... well, I always had some way to figure it out." With the way he paused in the middle of the sentence, she knew he was talking about the rest of the Squeak Squad. They'd been close, even if they had just been thieves.

"Daroach, I know you can't get them back. And despite the fact that I have no idea how it is to lose everyone you were close to, I feel bad that you lost them. But, we still need to get through this. Now, let's keep going. I really don't feel like getting sneak attacked." The two kept going, both ready to get out their weapons when they needed to. It was completely silent, the castle seeming eerily frozen. Both thought momentarily- like Marx had- that maybe Zero Two wasn't really at the castle. However, as the two went by one of the rooms, Daroach stopped and went back. Drawcia quizzically went after him.

"Something wrong?"

"I've seen that chest before..." If he hadn't been staring so intently into the room, she might have slapped him for a comment like that. However, she instead followed his gaze to a blue, gold trimmed treasure chest with a red, circular gem on it. Even to her, the chest seemed to radiate a certain evil. Daroach seemed to be going to it in an almost trance-like state. Drawcia got out the radio.

"Daroach, stay still." She turned on the radio, pressing the button to talk.

"Kirby, I need some information about a blue, gold trimmed treasure chest."

"Sure- that's what held Dark Nebula during my whole adventure against the Squeak Squad. Why?" Daroach was half way across to the treasure chest now, still walking in his trance-like way.

"Daroach, stop!" She was unaware she'd held down the talk button again.

"Drawcia? What's going on?"

_ '__**You I remember well. All you were after was treasure, was it? What about power. You could have all the power you've ever wanted. Just open the chest. You've done it before.'**_

The dark, eery voice seemed to echo in her head, and she dropped the radio.

"Drawcia?"

"Daroach, dammit, don't open it!" The mouse's paws had just touched the chest when Drawcia realized he wasn't hearing her. She quickly used her paintbrush to create a rope, which she then used to pull Daroach back her way, the treasure chest falling over, but staying firmly shut. While making sure it didn't open by instinct, the former leader of the Squeak Squad ended up smashing face first into the wall, falling to the floor after a moment with a groan. Drawcia made the rope disappear, going over to him after retrieving the radio.

"What the hell was that for?" The mouse glared at her, dusting himself off and straightening his hat as he did.

"For your sanity." She shoved him out of the room, going after him and shutting the door, ignoring Daroach's puzzled look. He seemed to have completely forgotten any of the recent events. She pressed the talk button on the radio again, putting a brief end to Kirby's frantic chatter on the other end.

"We might have a problem. It's not only Zero Two we need to be worried about. Dark Nebula's involved as well."

_Well, there we have it! The introduction of a __**second**__ bad guy! Now's where everything begins to get really interesting :) I'll try to type up the next chapter sometime this week. And if anyone wants to see any of the art I've done connected to this story, say so in a PM or a review, and I'll send you a link to where you can see it :) _

_Buick Regal Racecar 56_


	9. Chapter 8

_It's sad when I say I'll update faster and then go an entire month without updating, isn't it? I'm so sorry for the month long wait, I really am. Lots of things happened- my granddad was in the hospital for awhile, I was busy editing a short film I directed in one of my film classes and editing a movie of pictures together for my brother's scouting event, I had exams to go through, and then half the time I've been inspired to actually get on my computer and type up the next chapter, the weather has been bad, which for me means that the internet doesn't work. However, I'm being smart- since half the time the motivation for putting up a new chapter means I have to type it as well, I'm going to go ahead and pre-type all the remaining chapters, then throw them up on here whenever the net is agreeable :) ANYWAYS. Time to enjoy the next installment of Darkness Over Dreamland!_

Chapter 8

"It's Dark Nebula." Meta Knight froze with that one sentence, getting a questioning look from Galactic Knight as he did.

"What's wrong?"

"Dark Nebula is almost worse than Zero Two. Whatever they've planned, it can't be good. I think we may have just walked directly into a trap."

"It's surprising how often you can be right, Meta Knight. Unfortunately for you, this time you have figured it out far too late."

DOD

"I'm not pickin' up anymore signal from anyone, Dedede. I don't think we've got too good of a signal in the basement." The set had just barely managed to hear of the developement on Dark Nebula being involved, but they hadn't been able to come in contact with anyone else after that message.

"Or maybe no one ain't talkin', Joe." Knuckle Joe stopped for a moment to think about that. It was an option he didn't want to consider, but it might have been the truth. Neither of them knew what was going on in the rest of the castle, despite the radio giving somewhat broken updates. The fighter took out the radio and pressed the talk button.

"Anyone, come in. Anyone at all." He took his finger off the button, yet nothing but static answered him.

"I think somethin's gone wrong." He ignored Dedede and pressed the button again.

"Someone come in. Please." Once again, the crackle of static was the only response.

"For once, I think ya might be right, Dedede."

DOD

"What's Dark Nebula, Kirby?" The pink puff sighed.

"I had to fight him after the incident with the Squeak Squad. He can possess people, take them over, even enhance their powers. I'll honestly never forget having to fight Daroach under his control- it was one of the more terrifying things I've been through."

"So, this is a really bad thing?"

"Exactly. I'm sure that Zero Two and Dark Nebula have a very dark plan in store for us."

"You would be correct, Kirby. It almost pains me to see that you've figured it out far too late."

DOD

It didn't take long to collect all the groups in the throne room, each of their weapons now lying in a heap. Those without weapons earned the extra watchful eyes of the multitude of Dark Matter that seemed to inhabit each corner of what was formerly Dedede's castle. It was quiet as the last duo- Knuckle Joe and King Dedede- were chained up to the rest of the group, Zero Two watching in his usual unemotional way. After the self proclaimed King was chained, the entire group continued their silence, looking expectantly at Zero Two.

"What are you going to do with us?" Kirby spoke up, and Zero Two turned his attention to the pink puff.

"You always have been a brave one, Kirby. You are quite a respectful adversary. However, you are without the crystal you used on our previous encounter, so I'm a little surprised that you are so calm. What did you expect to beat me with?"

"Anything we could, Zero Two. You've destroyed most of Dreamland, killed many people, including most of my friends, and now you're probably planning to kill us." At that moment, a group of Dark Matter came in carrying a familiar treasure chest. They placed it near Zero Two, who took no immediate notice of it.

"I congratulate you all on being brave enough to believe that you could just waltz in here and destroy me. But, your crusade ends here. I will be the emerging victor in this battle, and then I will truly have Dreamland as my own. Or, as planned, half of it will be mine."

_**'The other half will be mine. I believe it is the time to show exactly what they will truly be facing, Zero Two. The time has come to take down what pathetic remains there are of the opposing force.' **_ The eery voice from the chest seemed to echo and whisper around each occupant of the room, making most of the shudder involuntarily, subtracting Zero Two and the hordes of Dark Matter.

"I believe it is time as well." He signalled to the Dark Matter nearest to the chest, and they moved quickly to the chest. After a few moments, it was open, and the black star surrounded by a purplish aura known as Dark Nebula emerged. However, the figure, familiar mostly to Daroach and Kirby, was only briefly visible- it soon faded into the pure white form of Zero Two. For a few moments, a dark purple-black aura shielded the two villains from sight. Finally, the form came back into sight. There was collective gasp at the sight now before them. Zero Two's originally white body was now a deep shade of purple, with some hints of white still in place. His formerly golden-yellow halo was now a pure black color, and as a whole, he was surrounded by a purple-black aura much like the one that had shrouded the two villains during their transformation. The only thing that had not changed was the pure blood red coloring of Zero Two's eye.

"_I am Dark Zero Two._"And it was at that moment, as the distinctly fused monotonous voice of Zero Two and the eery, whispery voice of Dark Nebula echoed around them, that even Kirby began to fear they might not make it out alive.

_And so, Dark Zero Two is introduced. I've kept the secret of Dark Zero Two hidden since I first created him- only my brother knew of Dark Zero Two until this moment. If you would like to see a picture of Dark Zero Two, I've had a picture done of him since I completed the written copy of this story, and I will be putting it up on deviantart with this chapter. Until next time :) _

_Buick Regal Racecar 56_


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"And do you plan to kill us like animals?"

_"You would die anyway, even if you were to be free. You have no chance against our combined attacks, and no option to escape."_

"Why do you want Dreamland?"

_"To prove that someone has the abillity to defeat..."_ It was during Dark Zero Two's speech of sorts that King Dedede began to notice the demon beast transporter shifting into action. Attempting to alert the others without attracting the attention of Dark Zero Two, he gently kicked Knuckle Joe, who half-heartedly glared at him.

"What d'ya want?"

"Quiet. Jus' look over there." Knuckle Joe looked there Dedede was gesturing at, and immediately realized what he was seeing.

"Pass it along, but don't get Dark Zero Two t' notice." Knuckle Joe nodded, then nudged Drawcia. As Dark Zero Two continued to speak, the group of heroes each noticed, one by one, that the demon beast transporter was continuing to take shape. The dust around it shifted and settled in a lazy way, proving that it hadn't been noticed even by the many observant eyes of Zero Two and his army of Dark Matter. The transporter finally finished clicking into place, and it now had the full undivided attention of all the Dreamlanders. Unfortunately, the many black forms of Dark Matter had noticed the rapt stares of the imprisoned heroes, and they turned to look at what held their attention. They did nothing except stare curiously until the transporter started sparking to life. The second that began, the creatures began to alert Dark Zero Two to this strange occurence. Dark Zero Two turned in the direction of the transporter just as several of the more powerful demon beasts started appearing and the screen came down from the wall, revealing the very familiar face of Customer Service, with Nightmare behind him.

"Nightmare. What do you want?"

"What, did you really think I was oblivious to your tyrannical hold on Dreamland, Zero Two? I'm not giving you a chance to take over Dreamland, not as unfairly as killing them without a chance to fight back. Demon beasts, get rid of the Dark Matter, and free the group." Soon enough, the demon beasts were locked in battle with the Dark Matter, Dark Zero Two fighting easily as well. One by one, each of the heroes was free, quickly grabbing their weapons if they needed to and jumping right into the fight. It was chaotic in the former throne room, attacks fllying everywhere from the varying range of styles being used. However, Dark Zero Two hung back from the attacks, shielded by Dark Matter. The small minions were rapidly dissipating as they were defeated, their numbers dwindling, and Dark Zero Two watching quietly. It wasn't long before all the Dark Matter had either been defeated or had fled, fearing defeat, leaving the Dreamland crew and the demon beasts ready to fight Dark Zero Two. It made a unique image- former villains posed alongside the heroes, all ready to fight for a single cause. The demon beasts, having done their job, returned to the transporter and were sent back to NME.

_"So, I suppose this shall be the final battle. Very well- we'll see who wins the fight for Dreamland." _ And so, the grand finale began.

_And so, another chapter closer to finishing this! This is the first time I've portrayed Nightmare as the good guy in my stories- normally I'm in the habit of making bad guys good, but Nightmare is one of the few who I've always made more evil than he tends to be in the show or the game. Until next chapter :)  
><em>

_Buick Regal Racecar 56_


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The room was once again filled with a flurry of attacks, this time being combatted with moves that combined the familiar style of both Dark Nebula and Zero Two. It was a challenge to dodge each attack, and the motley crew of heroes and villains found themselves being hit more often than not, while Dark Zero Two seemed completely unaffected. However, what did seem to be happening was that everyone seemed to be working together well with some that they might never have teamed with. Knuckle Joe and Kirby, now with the fighter ability, were using a variety of martial arts moves on the villain to distract him; as they did so, Drawcia was using her Power Paintbrush to create various objects to attack Dark Zero Two with; Daroach and Marx had teamed up as well, the mouse-like Squead Squad leader throwing bombs from below and the wannabe ruler of Popstar dropping bombs from above, creating a pattern of freezing and burning that seemed to throw off Dark Zero Two's moves at times. It seemed that the many attacks were beginning to weaken the villain, even if just a little.

"Kirby, come here for a moment." Kirby jumped, not realizing that Nightmare was still on screen, observing the fight. He ran over to the transporter after checking that Knuckle Joe could handle himself.

"Yes?"

"I figured you might need this when you returned. It seemed rather useful to you before you left, so I retrieved it to return to you." The Warp Star came into sight on the transporter, sending and involuntary grin across Kirby's face.

"Thank you, Nightmare."

"No problem. Just don't expect me to remain as nice in the future."

"As long as you don't become Dark Nightmare, I'll be fine." This got a small chuckle from both Nightmare and Customer Service.

"Good luck, Kirby." The screen went black, retracting into the ceiling. Kirby discarded the fighter ability and ran over to the Warp Star. It glowed in its usual way, a reassuring thing among all the changes that had happened since his leaving. Kirby quickly inhaled the star, remembering the Star Rod ability from his previous encounter with Nightmare, remembering how the familiar Warp Star had become the powerful weapon. Soon, he'd gained the familiar pink and white striped rod, the glowing star at the top. For a moment, he observed the battel, then watched as Marx and Magolor teamed up for a moment, which gave him an idea.

"Marx, Magolor, can you guys come here for a moment?" The two looked at him for a bit, Marx narrowly avoiding a move by Dark Zero Two that ended up skimming his hat. But the two came over to the pink puff, looking questioningly at the Star Rod. Dark Zero Two was too busy fighting off the rest of the crew to pay attention to the side conversation going on.

"What is it?"

"You two can still do your black hole attacks, right?" Magolor immediately nodded- Kirby expected as much from him, considering his version didn't involve any sort of physical involvement. Marx hesitated momentarily- Kirby remembered his in a more nightmarish way, not because of the damage it had done, but because of the way the jester pulled it off, by splitting himself in two.

"I haven't even done it since the last time I fought you. It hurts quite a bit, so I haven't made a habit of practicing it."

"It may be the only way we can win this. Magolor's won't be enough, so I need you too." Marx thought this over for a moment, then grinned lopsidedly.

"Alright. I guess I can pull it off again." Kirby nodded.

"Good. Now, you'll have to both do it as strong as you possibly can. I've got to go tell everyone to get their strongest attack ready. I need you two to go on either side of Dark Zero Two, and when I give the signal, you use your black hole attacks. Once he gets pulled in, you stop your attacks. I hope this works." Both the villains nodded.

"Okay. Let's go set this up." Marx and Magolor quickly headed back to their places, and Kirby spread the news of the plan, with Dark Zero Two remaining completely oblivious. Without making it obvious, the heroes formed a line in front of the fused villain, with Drawcia using a paint rope combined with Prince Fluff's whip to hold them to the wall.

"Marx, Magolor, go on! Everyone else, get ready!" Magolor easily began his black hole attack; Marx took an extra few seconds, but soon he had a rival black hole on his side of the room. Dark Zero Two immediately began to be pulled towards the two vacuums, as did the group although the spell and Prince Fluff's whip held. Dark Zero Two struggled against the pull, as the group finished readying their attacks.

"Everyone ready?" Kirby had to yell over the roaring noise of the competing black holes, and everyone signalled back to him that they were.

"Then attack!" In near perfect unison, an array of attacks let loose- a lasor produced by Daroach's Tristar Cane; a powerful paint magic attack produced by Drawcia's Power Paintbrush; a Sword Beam by Meta Knight; a large column of fire from Galactic Knight; a combination of several fighting attacks by Knuckle Joe; a Jet Hammer thrown by Dedede; and the most powerful attack Kirby could get out of the Star Rod. The flurry of attacks hit Dark Zero Two hard, knocking him directly into the path of the two black holes. For a moment, it seemed that Dark Zero Two would fight his way out of this as well- but then, with a flash of light, Dark Nebula was pulled from Zero Two, just as the whip broke, and Drawcia, in her surprise, let her magic barrier go. Several of the heroes yelled in shock at this, suddenly getting pulled towards the competing black holes as well. However, this didn't last long, as Meta Knight and Galactic Knight used their sword and lance respectively to anchor themselves to the ground and get a grip on everyone else. As they watched and desperately held on, Zero Two and Dark Nebula were pulled into the two seperate black holes, which immediately closed upon swallowing them up. Silence descended upon the room as the vortexes closed, and the group all fell to the ground with the sudden lack of force suspending them.

_Okay, okay, as an avid Kirby player, I realize that Marx and Magolor's black hole attacks do not work the way I wrote them. I also admit that if Kirby has used the Star Rod on Nightmare before in the context I had it, which is the show's version, then Nightmare would be dead and NME would be gone completely. I admit, I had some details wrong (and I had to look up what weapon Drawcia used, since I've yet to beat Canvas Curse). However, I had to take a bit of creative liberty to make it work, because to be quite honest, when I combined Zero Two and Dark Nebula, I had no idea how I was going to defeat them, especially not if I wanted to involve everyone. So this is what I ended up with, and everyone played a part (except for Prince Fluff. He provided a whip). Please don't shoot me for a lack of accuracy. Hope you enjoyed it anyways, until next chapter :) _

_Buick Regal Racecar 56_


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Moments after the noise and force was gone, everyone was helping each other off the floor. Marx and Magolor rejoined the group, Marx rubbing his head to attempt to alleviate some of the pain from the splitting headache he now had from the black hole attack. No one was saying a word, too stunned to say anything at the moment.

"Is it really over?" Prince Fluff was the one to finally break the silence. His hat had disappeared into the vortex- he wasn't the only one missing something; Drawcia and Daroach were also missing their trademark hats, Galactic Knight's shield, and somehow, Knuckle Joe's left shoe.

"I think it is. I mean, they're certainly not still here."

"Dark Nebula's treasure chest is still here." At the observation by Daroach, the entire group looked to the chest. However, it was open, and empty, the red jewel on it cracked and broken.

"We won. We really won." It was quiet for a moment, until Prince Fluff startled them all by cheering. After a quick laugh, most everyone joined in the cheering as well. As the celebration continued, a small beam of sunlight came in through the somewhat broken roof of the castle, the first bit of light that any of them had seen in longer than they cared to admit. The fight was over; and Dreamland was theirs again.

_Sometimes, the brevity of my chapters disturbs me mentally. Hold onto your horses, folks, there's still one chapter left!_

_Buick Regal Racecar 56_


	13. Epilogue

_Alright, Darkness Over Dreamland fans! We've reached the final chapter of this story, the real grand finale! Without further ado, I present it to you :) I'll have a longer more complete author's note following the chapter._

Epilogue

_Dreamland: Six Months Later_

The shining memorial stood in the center of Cappytown, where once had been a huge tree. Surprisingly enough, less of the Cappies had been killed than they'd previously thought- Sirica, after being knocked from control of Dark Matter, had saved and protected a rather nice sized group of them. However, there were still quite a few missing that were named on the memorial, as they'd never been found, or were dead upon their discovery. Cappytown had been rebuilt, before even the castle, which was still being fixed up. Prince Fluff had returned to Patch Land to reclaim rule over the land he was familiar with, and had discovered that a bit of Dark Matter had managed to find their way there. Thankfully, he hadn't had much trouble getting rid of them, and the damage was easily fixed. Nightmare had even pitched in to help, although he still promised that he wouldn't remain as helpful and nice as he'd been.

Kirby sighed, scanning the many names etched into the memorial. Many of them were names of people he'd known- Ribbon's was among them. The fairy had not been very fortunate on Ripple Star...

"Hey, hey, hey, don't be so sad pinky!" The ever cheerful voice of the jester came from behind him, as well as the familiar tapping sound that Marx's ball made as he balanced on it. Despite the fact that Kirby still had some pretty dark memories of his fight against Marx, he no longer got jumpy when the jester showed up. Thanks to another NOVA wish, Marx had gotten back to his original small form, although if trouble showed up he could easily regain the wings and powers. Marx, Magolor, and Kirby had become surprisingly good friends during the last six months, often playing jokes on each other and anyone else to keep spirits up during the rebuilding process.

"I'm not sad, just... thinking about how I knew lots of these people."

"A little depressing, thinking about the fact you know a lot of dead people, innit? We got back Dreamland, but those people are staying in their creepy not alive state." Kirby shot the jester an odd look, questioning his friend's sanity once again in his mind.

"... You are horribly, horribly morbid. You realize that?" The jester just grinned.

"You ought to be used to it by now."

"I don't think anyone could possibly aquire enough insensitivity to death to just get used to it." The two turned to see Daroach standing behind them, a different red hat than his usual one shading his eyes. He'd never been able to find a hat like the one that had disappeared into the black hole, so he'd made do with buying, or aquiring in some manner, an odd assortment of hats, all the same red color that he kept trying out until he could figure out which he liked best. So far, he still hadn't run out of hats- and he still hadn't figured out which he would keep.

"I'm still not used to you being a cop, Daroach." The former thief just chuckled. It was true that he was now a cop- unfortunately, of the Cappies who had not been so fortunate, their chief of police had disappeared, along with any other semblance of law officers. And somehow, the job had gone to Daroach.

"Yes, but it takes a criminal to catch a criminal, wouldn't you agree?"

"You do have a point."

"Thank you. Now, please don't start any trouble. I'm still sure it was at least one of you who set those fireworks off inside Castle DDD." Both Marx and Kirby smiled innocently- it had actually been Magolor's fault, but they'd been encouraging him to do it.

"We won't." Daroach nodded slightly before heading off towards the police station, with both Kirby and Marx watching him for a bit.

"So. Me and Magolor are trying to find the broken pieces of the Halberd and see what we can make out of them. Want to help?"

"Sure. Just give me one more minute here."

"Alrighty. I'll go tell Magolor." Marx went off, and Kirby turned back to the memorial, hearing the tapping of Marx's feet on the ball get fainter as he got farther. The fight against Dark Zero Two had brought Dreamland together in a way he'd never thought possible. Somehow, he figured that even if someone were to attempt taking over Dreamland again, he'd have plenty of help. With a quick smile, he ran off in the direction Marx had gone.

Behind him, the sun glinted off the top of the bronze memorial. Immortalized in the reflective metal was an image of each and every individual whose name was engraved into the sides- each name and image was carved onto there whenever someone else was found. At the bottom of the memorial, in fancy script, was a few lines of dedication- _"The battle for Dreamland would have been futile if it had been a fight only for the land, instead of for the people that were lost. This is in memory of all that were lost, that were fought for, and that we shall never forget in future struggles."_

_**fin**_

_Well, I did it. I completed Darkness Over Dreamland, and if you're reading this, I assume you've read the whole thing. I thank all my terrific readers and reviewers, and sincerely apologize for the pauses between updates as life decided to intervene in what would have otherwise been a very scheduled updating pattern. It has been terrific fun to write this, and terrific fun seeing all the positive reviews that this story has generated. And to think this story has been brewing since Super Smash Brothers Brawl. I once again thank you all for reading this, and I must bid you all farewell. Tune in for future stories! _

_Buick Regal Racecar 56- You may also PM me if you wish to follow me on deviantart _


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